2004
13 ÷ 14
COLOPHON
13 ÷ 14 is a book of stark contrasts and exquisite
beauty. It is the confluence of a poem and a puzzle, bringing together
the fourteen polygonal forms of The Loculus of Archimedes and
the poetic vision of Wallace Stevens' poem "Thirteen Ways
of Looking At A Blackbird."
13 ÷ 14 is a
continuation of Bart's studio work, pairing disparate objects, images
and texts to create unique contexts and give new meanings to everday
objects.
In
this new book she has inventively used the fourteen shapes that comprise
the ancient puzzle to create dynamic silhouette figures for each of
the thirteen stanzas of the poem: hence, the title of the book 13 ÷ 14. These thirteen figures were then scanned and converted to polymer plate,
from which they were then printed.
13 ÷ 14 is produced
to the exactingly high standards of the late nineteenth century livre
d'artiste. The paper is Magnani Pescia (150gsm). The book
is 64 pages, the figures and poem printed on rectos; the stanza
number on versos. The book measures 10 inches wide x 14 inches
high. The primary type is Delphin II; Delphin I and the Trump Mediaeval
series are used for display. The type is handset from foundry metal
originally cast by Stemple and Ludwig & Mayer. The book is
three-color throughout, although the overall impression of the
book is that of stark, dense black. The stanza numbers are printed
in gunmetal blue and are repeated in a fugitive gray on pages facing
the figures.
The book is bound in a traditional goatskin quarter binding. The
boards are covered in iridescent blue/black cloth with a blackbird
foil-stamped in matte black. The book was
designed and printed in collaboration with Philip Gallo at The Hermetic Press.
The binding is by Jill Jevne. Published by Mnemonic Press in an edition of
fifty.
